In general, the first violinist, or the concertmaster, carries the tune or the melody of a particular piece of music, while the second violinist plays the harmony. In a professional orchestra, the position of first violinist is usually paid more than other members of the orchestra.
George Gershwin
But “conducting is more difficult than playing a single instrument,” claims Boulez. “You have to know the culture, to know the score, and to project what you want to hear.” A great conductor might have peerless musical instincts and intuition, but innate musicality will get them only so far.
An orchestra tunes itself to a very particular frequency, usually 440 hertz, a note known as A 440. The note is played by the oboist, and the rest of the orchestra tunes their instruments to match it. The oboe leads the tuning because of all the instruments, it is least affected by humidity or other weather conditions.
You may be surprised that the saxophone is not here. This is the one instrument that is always found in bands and wind ensembles, but only very rarely plays in the orchestra.
You may be surprised that the saxophone is not here. This is the one instrument that is always found in bands and wind ensembles, but only very rarely plays in the orchestra. Although flutes may be made of wood, the orchestral flute is usually made of metal. It also does not have a reed.
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Instruments of the OrchestraString family. Violin. Viola [vee-OH-lah] Cello (violoncello) [CHEL-low] ... Woodwind family. Flute, Piccolo. Oboe, English horn. Clarinet, Bass clarinet. ... Brass family. Trumpet. Horn (French horn) Trombone. ... Keyboards and Harp. Celesta [cheh-LESS-tah] Piano. Harpsichord.
1 : a group of musicians who perform instrumental music using mostly stringed instruments. 2 : the front part of the main floor in a theater. Other Words from orchestra.
You may be surprised that the saxophone is not here. This is the one instrument that is always found in bands and wind ensembles, but only very rarely plays in the orchestra. Although flutes may be made of wood, the orchestral flute is usually made of metal. It also does not have a reed.
San Francisco Symphony musicians earn an average annual salary of $165,000, with a minimum salary of $141,700, he said.
The A string is normally tuned first, to the pitch of the ensemble:generally 400-442hz. The other strings are then tuned to it in intervals of fifths, usually by bowing two strings simultaneously. Most violas also have adjusters—fine tuners, particularly on the A string that make finer changes.
Orchestral concerts vary in length depending on the music being performed. Most concerts last between 90 minutes and two hours, including one intermission. A few concerts, such as opera productions, may run somewhat longer. Family Concerts and Friday Morning Matinees last about one hour.
Someone writing in The New York Times would refer to the Big Five American orchestras: the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
The string section is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the typical Classical orchestra. ... An orchestra consisting solely of a string section is called a string orchestra.
Offers benefits to eye-hand coordination as well as increased cognitive skills such as concentration and visual recognition. Studies indicate that this tends to give kids who participate in orchestra programs higher success in other learning areas like math and reading.
2) It enables the orchestra to all start playing together - even if they know the piece well enough not to need the conductor once they've started, starting is the hard part! 3) The conductor can remind the orchestra during the performance of how he wants the piece played.
The earliest violins were used for popular and dance music. During the 17th century it replaced the viol as the primary stringed instrument in chamber music. The Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi included violins in the orchestra of his opera Orfeo (first performed in 1607).